Matilda Omonaiye/
Renowned political economist and Director of the Commonwealth Institute for Advanced Professional Studies (CIAPS), Lagos, Professor Anthony Kila, has publicly endorsed the shadow cabinet recently unveiled by Professor Pat Utomi.
Earlier this month, Utomi, an economist and leader of the Big Tent Coalition, announced the formation of a shadow government intended to serve as a credible opposition to President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Describing the initiative as a “national emergency response,” Utomi said the move was in reaction to what he saw as Nigeria’s deteriorating economic and security conditions under the current government.
Commenting on the development, Prof. Kila — a respected public affairs analyst and professor of strategy and development — expressed his full support for the initiative. Speaking at the Cambridge African Round Table (CARt), an international forum for analysts, diplomats, corporate and public sector leaders, and scholars, Kila stated: “To those asking what I think about the recent launch of the shadow cabinet in Nigeria, let me be clear: I not only see nothing wrong with the idea, I fully support it.”
Addressing criticisms that a shadow cabinet is out of place in a presidential system like Nigeria’s, unlike in parliamentary democracies, Kila argued that the innovation is both timely and necessary.
“Those who find the idea odd should see it as an original initiative that can help rather than hinder progress,” he said.
He further noted that the shadow government emerged in response to what he described as a “sleepy and disorganised opposition” in urgent need of revitalisation.
However, Kila cautioned the shadow cabinet against becoming a mere talk shop. He urged its members to work diligently to establish themselves as a rigorous, credible, and constructive source of alternative policies that could benefit both the government and the Nigerian people.
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